Air pollution: Supreme Court allows relaxation of GRAP IV to GRAP II

The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to relax GRAP stage IV restrictions in Dehli-NCR to GRAP stage II in view of the betterment in the Air Quality Index (AQI). A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Justice Augustine George Masih allowed the authorities to go down from stage IV of Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to stage II and also asked the CAQM to consider adding certain measures from Stage III. If the AQI crosses 350, GRAP III should be imposed and if it crosses 400, GRAP IV must be impsoed, said the bench. The order of the top court came as it took note of the submission of Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati that the average AQI levels have been below the 300 mark since November 30. “... It is true that at some stage the court will have to leave to Commission to decide about GRAP applicability. Considering the data placed before us, we do not think that it will be appropriate at this stage to allow Commission to go below Stage 2,” said the bench in its order. Senior advocate Aparajita Singh, assisting the court as amicus curiae in the air pollution matter, said that the bench may permit moving out of GRAP IV. Meanwhile, the top court also pulled up Delhi Chief Secretary for failing to fully compensate the construction workers affected by the GRAP IV restrictions on construction activities. (ANI)

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